“Stay Home” measures are being implemented in Bartica, Region Seven, in an effort to tackle the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Guyana rose to eight on Saturday, with one death recorded.
Subsequently, Mayor of Bartica Gifford Marshall announced that the town will be enforcing a ‘Stay Home’ public health advisory, which took effect from 6pm that same day and it will last for two weeks, concluding on April 10th. There have been no cases of COVID-19 recorded in Region Seven.
In a video announcement, Marshall said that the advisory was not a “lockdown or curfew” as he noted that shops and essential services will remain open.
In a letter from the Mayor and Town Council to the Region Seven Task Force for COVID-19, it was noted that with the enforcement of the advisory, the closure of all public sporting venues utilised for sports and recreation, inclusive of the Bartica Community Sports Complex and Mongrippa Playfield, were to take effect from 6pm last Saturday. Car parks, bus parks and taxi catchment areas were also expected to close and the council recommended that taxis be contacted through their bases or direct lines. It was also recommended that bases ensure drivers don’t gather together but receive directions for pickups from home and that buses work on a rotation arrangement and not assemble at the park.
One order included that there be no gatherings at bars, restaurants, gambling establishments, game shops, barbershops and salons. It was recommended that the proprietors or workers of the establishments have minimal contact with customers and utilise delivery or order and pick up services. It was also advised that customers schedule appointments that will not encourage a gathering of more than five persons at the location for a long period of time. Another order stated that essential businesses remain open to the public. However, the owners were advised to take necessary measures to ensure the proper facilitation of the number of persons allowed in the building at one time, the utilisation of sanitisation stations for persons entering and exiting the building and the regular sanitisation of the facility.
Marshall implored residents of the town to only leave their homes to make their way to work or to shop for essential items as he said that the town does not have adequate resources, inclusive of medical professionals or facilities, to handle a large-scale outbreak. In the letter, it was also noted that following careful deliberations, the council agreed that vendors renting stalls in the marketplaces will be granted a waiver of fees for the months of April and May.
Meanwhile, as the region prepares to combat the spread of the virus, the Regional Democratic Coun-cil (RDC) said that officials from the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) on Saturday met with speed boat operators at the Bartica Stelling to discuss preventative measures that can be taken by the operators. As a result, it was agreed that the operators of regular passenger boats which seats 28 passengers, will reduce the passenger count to 23 persons per trip. It was noted that those who operate smaller boats will be required to carry less passengers as well. The operators also agreed that no fare increases will be imposed, but the operators will have the option to bargain with passengers on the fare to be paid.
With the Bartica Stelling being one of the main entry points into the region, discussions were held on having hand washing stations installed for public use and for the establishment of a medical screening station there.
The region’s largest hospital, the Bartica Regional Hospital, also instituted changes in its operations in response to the COVID-19 threat. Persons are now being screened and are asked to wash their hands upon entering the hospital’s compound.
Persons with flu-like symptoms and those who recently returned from another country are directed to the Accident and Emergency Unit while others would be directed to the outpatients department.
On its Facebook page, the RDC said that vehicles will only be allowed into the compound if the patient cannot walk and only one visitor will be allowed per patient.
A building has been identified and will be transformed into a medical quarantine facility. According to the RDC, the building, which was constructed to be the region’s first special needs school, will be equipped with the furnishing necessary for it to be used as a temporary quarantine facility in the eventuality of a COVID-19 outbreak in the region.
Residents were implored to practice proper personal hygiene and other preventative measures inclusive of social distancing. The regional health department has also established regional hotlines which persons who are experiencing shortness of breath, coughs and fevers, as well as persons with recent international travel history or those who have come in contact with someone who has COVID-19, can call.
